The chronic dispute between EgyptAir and its cabin crew members may not yet be over, reports Amirah Ibrahim As part of its commitment to supporting its staff EgyptAir has entered into an agreement with medical insurance company Bupa, to provide quality, affordable health coverage for cabin crew members. Under the agreement the airline's pilots, flight attendants and security officers will enjoy higher-quality health insurance at lower rates. "The national carrier's cabin crew will receive cover inside and outside Egypt via medical practitioners, hospitals and clinics included in our network," explained Ahmed Kamel, Bupa's Sales and Distribution manager in Egypt. "Insured staff will have plenty of choices when it comes to selecting a treatment centre wherever they travel." Bupa is a provident association covering some eight million members in over 190 countries. It won the Best International Private Medical Insurance Award in 2008 for the third year running. The airline signed the contract last week but has released few details. Both EgyptAir and Bupa say details, including the value of the contract and the treatments covered, are confidential. "The health insurance plan negotiated for cabin crew is part of our commitment to providing them with a wide range of value-added services," says Sherif Galal, EgyptAir Chairman and CEO. "Four years ago, a flight attendant broke her leg on a flight to Stockholm and we faced a problem as our crew had not been medically covered abroad." Galal has released few details about the deal. "We will benefit from Bupa's 50 years of experience in healthcare. They offer benefits such as no age restriction, comprehensive worldwide coverage, the option to continue cover after retirement, coverage for chronic conditions and generous benefit options," he says. Under the contract more than 3,000 cabin crew staff will receive medical insurance during trips. No salary cuts will be made to finance the deal. "Costs will be paid by a fund to which both the Aviation Ministry and airline contribute. Medicines prescribed by doctors anywhere will also be paid for. In emergency cases the insurance also covers transporting patients to the medical centre where they want to be treated, regardless of distance. Galal has also announced that the scheme will be extended within six months to include employees working at airline offices abroad and their families, adding 500 more people receiving cover. The information released, however, suggests that as yet the scheme covers only pilots, and then only in some areas, such as the US. "This is very hard on flight attendants who also work such long haul routes. We cannot understand the reason behind such a double-faced approach. I work long flights and deserve the same rights as pilots," said one flight attendant. "The picture, though, is not clear yet. We will have to wait to see how the new system operates before judging it." Flight attendants are also unhappy that they face stricter work regulations than pilots, particularly when it comes to new appointments. "Newly appointed pilots are offered a seven year contract whereas we are offered a three. On retiring pilots receive a LE70,000 bonus while we are offered the equivalent of two months salary," another flight attendant complained. Such criticisms, says Galal, are unfair. "What airline offers long-term contracts to flight attendants?" he asks. "Their employment depends on their interaction with passengers. And many female flight attendants abandon the career in their 30s, switching to other jobs or getting married. It is routine for airlines to change flight attendants every few years." Over the past decade EgyptAir's pilots have often threatened industrial action in pursuit of better work conditions and retirement benefits and in 1999 actually went on strike. Subsequently they have applied occasional works-to-rule, particularly during the Hajj and Omra seasons, when the demand for flights is high. When a cabinet portfolio was set up to supervise the aviation business in 2002 the new minister, Ahmed Shafiq, dismissed a number of pilots. But improved conditions were offered to cabin crews, including establishing a retirement fund for pilots not covered by EgyptAir's social fund. "Now pilots who retire get a LE70,000 retirement bonus. We know it is less than they had hoped but if you look at it from the other side it is a far better situation than before," says Galal. He adds that pilots are among EgyptAir's best paid employees, receiving monthly incomes ranging from LE17,000 to LE35,000, depending on flight hours.
